From our tourism guru:
I believe I am correct in saying that David Black is on the board of the Colbert County Tourism / Convention & Visitors Bureau. Which brings up an article a few weeks ago in the TD about lodging taxes in Lauderdale and Colbert County. Colbert County was boasting about their 1% increase in lodging tax over last year. Ironically lodging taxes were down the last 3 years in a row so was the 1% even a measurable increase. The most disturbing part of this article was the fact that Colbert County Tourism director, Susann Hamlin, totally threw her largest hotel under the bus by announcing that they have not yet paid their lodging taxes to the state yet.
Seriously? Is that how you treat your largest hotel? Will the board address this issue? Isn’t that against the law? Will David Black step up to the plate and comment on this situation? Nobody wants to talk about it in public forums but we are clearly living in an era where it appears evident that Lauderdale County will soon absorb Colbert County Tourism. With comments like this from what is supposed to be the leader of Colbert County Tourism, that may come to fruition sooner than anyone thought.
However, on the opposite side of the river, the Lauderdale County Tourism Board is not the sharpest tools in the shed. They have far too many personal agendas to set to even start to think ahead to the future of tourism in the Shoals. Until their puppet master pulls the string, they never know what they are supposed to do.
Nigel Knorr
*****
We've had some questions about the Midnight Rider. We've been in touch, and he's been under the weather, but is slowly recovering.
All the best from his many readers who miss him!
